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The Basics Of Frenzying
Any Rage roll can ignite a frenzy, even those made to activate specific Gifts. Any Rage rolls should be interpreted as an attempt — willing or otherwise — to awaken the primal Beast that drives the shifter. If a player rolls four or more successes on a Rage roll, her character frenzies. The player may spend a Willpower point right then to halt the frenzy, but her character loses any further actions that turn. Shifters with permanent Rage ratings lower than four can frenzy, but only under extreme circumstances. Highly emotional and personal circumstances (such as the threat of rape in a Black Fury's case, or the threat of imprisonment for a claustrophobic Silent Strider) can boost a werewolf's Rage above the permanent rating. It is this higher rating that the player uses for Rage rolls. To avoid an imminent frenzy, a character may spend a Willpower point. Thralls may not be avoided in this way. Berserk Frenzy :The shifter sees only red and moving shapes. They wish only to reduce these shapes to mangled carcasses. A berserk shifter transforms immediately to Crinos or Hispo (or related; player's choice) and attacks. :Exactly whom she attacks depends on the circumstances. A Garou whose permanent Gnosis exceeds her permanent Rage will not attack her packmates (unless she is in the Thrall of the Wyrm). She will attack anything else that moves, however, including allies who are not members of her pack. :If, however, her permanent Rage exceeds her permanent Gnosis, she attacks anything that moves, and she can make no distinction between targets unless her player spends a Willpower point. If such is the case, the Storyteller can direct her as to which target to attack. In addition, such Garou do not remember what happens to them during frenzy. Often, they collapse when the frenzy ends. Fox Frenzy :Entering a fox frenzy means that the character flees in terror for her life. She shifts to Lupus (or a related) form and runs, attacking anything that gets in her way (although more with the intention of getting past than of killing). Once the character reaches a safe hiding place, she will remain there until the frenzy passes. In either frenzy, special maneuvers and pack tactics are impossible. The extent of the shifter's attack capability is to bite, claw or run. The character may spend Rage for extra actions. Using Gifts in frenzy is normally impossible, as is stepping sideways. A werewolf does not suffer from pain in frenzy, though, so he ignores all wound penalties. Coming out of frenzy requires that the situation that triggered it be over. When the trigger event is over, the player may roll Willpower (difficulty of the shifter's own Rage) to escape the frenzy. Even if this roll fails, she may try again each turn. Choosing Fox or Berserk The Rage inside a Garou is their connection to the Beast, that feral side of them that gives them their vicious anger in battle. But the beast is also simply that: A wild animal. And an animal's first instinct isn't always to fight. So when a Garou falls into a frenzy, their player should take into account the causes of the frenzy. When a frenzy is caused by fear or surprise, a wild animal's first instinct will be to run away. When in pain and not cornered or being directly attacked, their instinct is the same, to get somewhere safe and lick their wounds. However, when hunting their quarry or fighting for their life, a wild animal's first instinct is to do harm. In the same way, a Garou's frenzy should reflect the instinct of the Beast inside them. Some of the ways a Garou can frenzy is by anger or humiliation. While wild animals don't have these emotions (or at least don't experience them the same way humans do), Garou can still feel the Beast tugging on them in similar ways. When angry or in an argument, the Garou's instincts are telling them to physically attack their opponent in the same way they're verbally attacking them, and a frenzy from this would likely be a Berserk Frenzy. When they are humiliated, for example, the Garou will be feeling the desire to get away and hide from the mocking stares of their peers, so this could result in a Fox Frenzy. As is the case with everything in White Wolf, there are always exceptions. Use your common sense and remember that anger isn't the only emotion that's heightened by Rage, nor the only one that drives the Beast within. Thrall of the Wyrm A shifter's Rage is fearful enough, but sometimes a frenzy is abnormal. If a shifter descends too far into frenzy, his Rage is no longer pure. Instead, he has opened himself up to be used by the Wyrm. If a player rolls six or more successes on a Rage roll, the character enters a berserk frenzy, and spending Willpower will not bring her out of it. The character is said to be "in the Thrall of the Wyrm." The frenzy follows normal tendencies with regards to attacks and duration, but it includes some even more horrific aspects. Each of the three typical breeds carries a piece of the Triatic Wyrm, and during such a frenzy, that Wyrm can demand its due. ; Homid : Eater-of-Souls has long held humans as its special children, and this attention includes Homid shifters. The Wyrm can drive such shifters to acts of cannibalism upon humans, beasts or even other shifters. When a homid-breed in the Thrall kills or incapacitates an opponent (friend or foe), her player must roll Wits (difficulty 7). If the roll botches, the Garou must stop for a turn and feast. ; Metis : Barred as they are from breeding, metis are special targets of the Defiler Wyrm. Metis in the Thrall sometimes practice unspeakable acts of perversion on fallen opponents, regardless of their respective genders. If a metis kills or incapacitates a foe while in the Thrall, her player must roll Wits (difficulty 7). If the roll botches, the shifter stops fighting for a turn and slakes her unholy lust on her helpless opponent. ; Beast : The savage, feral beast (lupus, etc.) feel the pull of Beast-of-War. A beast-shifter in the thrall will savage a fallen opponent, friend or foe, and not pull away until the body lies in pieces around her. The shifter loses all sense of mercy, regardless of her comparative Gnosis and Rage scores. When a beast-shifter kills or incapacitates a foe while in the Thrall, her player must roll Wits (difficulty 7). If the roll botches, the shifter must continue to attack until her opponent is torn limb from limb. Succumbing to the Thrall of the Wyrm is terrifying to any shifter. A normal frenzy is considered a defense mechanism against pain, a pure if brutal method of survival. A Wyrm-frenzy is nothing of the kind. It brings to light the inner struggle with the Wyrm, which is something few shifters are prepared to face. Unable to live with their deed, some shifters even end their lives after such a frenzy.